SURVEY: 13 head-coaches anonymously responded to a Top14 survey

Clermont are the favourites to win the 2017/18 Top 14 title, according to a survey of those who should know a thing or two about the state of play in the French top flight.

We're not talking pundits, commentators or journalists. We're not even talking former players or ex-coaches with media training who have nothing better to do than navel gaze, ruminate and pontificate on the forthcoming campaign.

We're talking coaches. Genuine, bone fide, 100% guaranteed current French Top 14 coaches, who responded to a survey from twice-weekly rugby newspaper Midi-Olympique. Only La Rochelle's staff declined to take part in the poll.

Five of those who responded said the 2017 champions would successfully defend their title this season. Four opted for Montpellier, two for Toulon, one for Racing 92 - and one did not give an answer.

Clermont and Montpellier are the coaches' choice to finish in the top two at the end of the regular season, and qualify directly for the play-off semi-finals, polling 11 and seven responses respectively. Toulon (six), Racing 92 (one) and La Rochelle (one) also picked up votes from the 13 coaches.

Such is the confidence that Franck Azema's Clermont will be in the top two that they do not even feature in the list of teams expected to compete for the remaining four play-off places.

Racing 92 are top of the clubs expected to finish in the four 'barrage', or quarter-final play-off slots, polling 10 votes; Toulon picked up eight; Montpellier, La Rochelle, Lyon and Castres all polled six; Pau and Toulouse got two votes; Stade Francais and, somewhat surprisingly, Oyonnax both got one.

At the other end of the scale, newly promoted Agen are the strong choice to yo-yo straight back down to the ProD2, with 11 of the 13 coaches taking part opting for the side from the southwest. The only other team to poll a vote was the other promoted side, ProD2 champions Oyonnax.

A rule change that comes into force this season means the team that finishes 13th in the league is not automatically relegated, but goes into a play-off match against the side that finished second in the ProD2. According to the coaches polled, Oyonnax are the Top 14 side most likely to face that extra match, with Stade Français and Agen also in the reckoning.

But, before you all go rushing off to put your money where the Top 14 coaches' mouths are, know this. At this time last year, no one foresaw La Rochelle's charge to the top of the table. They weren't even in the reckoning for a play-off place. The coaching collective predicted that Racing 92 would successfully defend their title with four votes, ahead of Montpellier (three) and Clermont (two).

They were bang on with positions at the relegation-end of the table, however, with Bayonne and Grenoble picking up the bulk of the mentions, ahead of Lyon, Brive and Pau.

The coaches who took part in the Top 14 2017/18 prediction survey were:

Mauricio Reggiardo (Agen); Jeremy Davidson (Bordeaux); Nicolas Godignon (Brive); Joe El Abd (Castres); Franck Azéma (Clermont); Pierre Mignoni (Lyon); Vern Cotter (Montpellier); Adrien Buononato (Oyonnax); Greg Cooper (Stade Français); Simon Mannix (Pau); Laurent Labit (Racing 92); Fabien Galthié (Toulon); William Servat (Toulouse).